CLIVE WOODWARD has no doubt England will be hit by the "fear factor" as they prepare for the World Cup quarter-final against Wales.

CLIVE WOODWARD has no doubt England will be hit by the "fear factor" as they prepare for the World Cup quarter-final against Wales.

England have beaten Wales 10 times from the last 11 starts, and are firm favourites to extend that one-sided sequence at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.

But the English camp were last night still digesting Wales' magnificent display against New Zealand in Sydney.

"All I look at is the last game Wales played. That was against the All Blacks, and they were fantastic against one of the favourites for the World Cup," said Woodward, as his squad arrived in central Brisbane from Queensland's Gold Coast.

"Wales are having a very good World Cup, and we all know that they have got absolutely nothing to lose, come Sunday. There will be a huge fear factor, and that's what you need going into this game. We certainly play better, in that respect.

"Wales will be so confident now, going into the England game. It adds a huge spark to the whole occasion in what is a massive game for both sides.

"All the weekend games have shown that the favourites-underdog tag has just been blown away - Australia versus Ireland, All Blacks versus Wales, England against Samoa the previous week - that's why it has been a great World Cup.

"Every camp will be looking at itself, all those who are supposed to be the favourites. I don't think it is going smoothly for any one team."

England, though, have arrived at the tournament's business end with four wins out of four, conceding just two tries, and they are now ready to peak in their quest for global supremacy.

And there is no doubt that campaign has been helped by them playing both South Africa and Samoa, who provided fierce opposition and contributed immensely to battle-hardening Woodward's troops.

"If you hadn't had some serious games going into big matches, then you can sometimes get caught. England certainly got caught against Ireland in Dublin a couple of years ago, when we were nowhere near it," reflected the England coach.

"We know that we are not playing at our best, and we are just looking forward to getting into Brisbane and having a complete mind-change. I am confident the team will really click into gear this week.

"But we are under no illusions - we know that we haven't been playing as well as we should do. If you lose a game now, then you are on the plane home the next day. In the pool games, you know you could have slipped up and there was still a good chance of making the quarter-finals.

"But the whole mindset now changes, that's what is exciting about it. If you get it wrong at the weekend, then you are flying home on Monday, so that does change your mind completely in terms of what this is all about."

Apart from the Scott Gibbs-Neil Jenkins smash-and-grab raid at Wembley four years ago, Wales last beat England in 1993.

And the fixture's sense of imbalance was given further ammunition during the summer when a shadow England side travelled to Cardiff for a World Cup warm-up match and thumped Wales' first XV 43-9.

Woodward, though, insists history will count for nothing when it comes to a quarter-final showdown that should pack Suncorp Stadium to its 52,000 capacity.

"Wales are a very good side, they proved that against the All Blacks, and we've got to get it right," said Woodward.

"We've come to the serious end of the tournament now, so you've got to get your selections right, based on what you are seeing, what you know has happened on the training ground and what you know the experience of the squad is.

"You've just got to trust your judgment to make the right call, all things being equal. Sunday's game is just about winning, nothing else."